The Way It Is
by Heiress of Lohaust
Summary: After a near-death experience, Lily Evans is finally starting to accept that there is more to James Potter than she thought. But she will ever be able to accept herself, with this new development, or are things supposed to stay the way they are?
1. Chapter 1

_OK, this insanely long break in my posting has to stop. I know its been a long, long time, and I'm SO sorry. I know some people have been pestering me, and thank you to whoever comes back to see this!_

_As for this chapter, I hope you like it, considering I had a really hard time with it. Ask my new beta. And as for the name change, I just realized like a week after that Mary's name is Macdonald, so in this one its changed, and in the other one its Dashet or something. Sorry, one day I'll go and fix it. _

_Disclaimer: In my long, long absence, I am still not JK Rowling. _

**CHAPTER ONE**

The sun was pouring through the cracked window, but couldn't penetrate the heavy red and gold bed curtains. The five girls accommodating the Gryffindor dorm slept peacefully, blissfully unaware that the minutes ticking by were leaving fewer left to them for departure.

Finally a tiny knock brought the smallest, red-haired one from slumber. Looking like a right mess, Lily Evans tumbled from bed and padded over to the door in rumpled pyjamas and wild hair, sleep-blurred and yawning.

The tiny first-year looked at her timidly, though she was only a few inches shorter. "Lily Evans?"

"Yes..." Lily contained a yawn. "What is it?"

"There's a boy downstairs saying you're supposed to be awake and gorgeous by now..."

Lily stared at her for a moment, the sleep-clogged wheels of her mind not quite turning yet. Then she gasped. "Oh my God!" she shrieked, bolting back into the room. "Jenna, Alicia, get up! Joanne, Mary, come on!"

The four other girls shot up in their beds, wide-eyed or yawning. Jenna McIsaac was the first to take in the situation and leap from bed, gathering clothes together. Then Alicia Klein and Joanne Wakeside tumbled out, grabbing brushes and clean clothes. Mary Macdonald was the last to fall from bed, the slowest and least eager to be gone.

The first-year stood at the door, a little taken aback and frightened by the flurry of activities in the dorm. Lily looked at her as she yanked a brush through her hair, wincing. "Go back down and tell him we'll be there in a few minutes," she gasped, using two hands now on the accessory. The girl nodded and disappeared back down the stairs.

Lily finally gave up on her hair and tied it back into a horsetail, frantically locating the clothes she had chosen to wear. He had said that his parents could be picky, but she didn't know exactly how. He'd never told her what to wear the first day...

Jenna was in the shower now, the water creating rolling steam near the ceiling. Alicia was in front of the small mirror on her night table, applying the little makeup she ever wore. Joanne, the sport-player, was throwing any and all clean clothes into a black bag, not bothering with folding. Mary was pulling on clothes as if in a fantasy, not really grasping how little time they had.

The girl appeared again, a small smile on her face. "He says it's already past time to be gone and if you want to impress his parents then you had better be extra beautiful to make up for it."

Lily paused in the motion of buttoning a green blouse. He had not just said that. He had not just asked a first-year to say that.

She sighed and resumed her shirt. "Tell him we'll be a few minutes," she repeated. "And if he doesn't like it he can forget the whole deal."

The girl nodded and skipped back downstairs.

By the time Lily was fully dressed in her blouse, black jeans, and trainers Joanne was packed and ready, as was Alicia. Mary was also dressed, and absently pulling a brush through her hair. Jenna was out of the shower, but she was complaining that she couldn't find her wand to finish the look off.

Lily almost growled when the girl appeared a third time in the door way. "He says that he knows you won't call it off but that you had still better be dazzling if you want a compliment when you get down."

That was the last straw. Lily threw her pair of heels into her trunk and stomped down the stairs to the common room, which was fairly empty because of the holiday. The only people inside were four teenage boys and a teenage girl.

"James Potter, you arrogant, impatient–"

The boy she'd been yelling at turned around, a wide grin on his face. The smile faltered a second as he took in her dressed-up, angry state. Then he stood and walked to her, smiling down at her infuriated face. "I suppose you'll pass," he teased.

She could feel her cheeks burning in fury. "Can you please wait just a minute?!" she nearly shrieked. "Honestly, can you be any pushier?"

"You have obviously not seen him at dinner at home," said his best friend, Sirius Black, from the sofa, who was examining his nails. "Then he's a right scene."

"Black," she said sweetly, looking around James. "I'd appreciate your silence."

The others snickered.

"Alright, Lily, a few more minutes, but then we have to meet McGonagall in her office to Floo to my house," James said with an air of importance. "Or else she'll have my head."

She turned around haughtily and trudged back upstairs, where Jenna had dried her hair magically and was applying makeup to her eyes. Alicia and Joanne were helping Mary throw clothes together. "Is he in a state?" Alicia asked sympathetically.

"He's acting like he is, but I think Remus understands how late we are more than James does," Lily sighed, pulling down a dress bag from her closet. She placed it in her trunk, along with her cosmetics and hair applications. Lily really hated spending so much time on her hair, but if she wanted to pull this off she needed to look her best. Which required makeup and time in front of a mirror.

Alicia, Joanne, and Mary all took their bags or trunks downstairs, to make the room less crowded. Jenna had miraculously packed the night before, and only needed to throw in her own cosmetics before being ready. Lily tucked her wand into her pocket and took hold of her trunk, hauling it down the stairs and into the common room behind Jenna.

"Finally," Sirius said dramatically. "We've been waiting forever!"

"This is actually a new record," Jenna told him. "Seventeen minutes to get four girls dressed, packed, and presentable while the fifth had to shower too? You should be impressed."

Peter Pettigrew, the smallest and least prominent of the group, snickered at Sirius behind his back while Remus Lupin raised his eyebrows. The last girl, Grace Mitchell, started out of the common room, looking irritated.

"What has her all friendly?" Lily asked James quietly as he fell in beside her.

"Sirius was being rather himself this morning, as was Grace, and perhaps the morning is not the best time for them to mingle."

Lily suppressed a giggle as they reached the floor and started to McGonagall's office on the first floor. Lily set down her trunk and pulled out her wand, murmuring "_Locomotor__ trunk_" under her breath and levitating the heavy luggage instead of carrying it. It felt wonderful to be able to use magic outside of school days, now that she was seventeen and legally an adult in the wizarding world.

Professor Minerva McGonagall was a strict, praise-pressed woman in her thirties or forties, Lily couldn't tell. She was the one who had convinced the minister of the Floo Network to open a door in her fireplace for today at ten o'clock, for the ten of them to get to James' house for his birthday party. She also hated people being late.

"Hurry along, hurry along," she said briskly when they entered her office. "We're a little pressed for time here."

"Thanks again Professor," James thanked her, grinning his infamous grin. "This is so much easier than flying or organizing the train or–"

"Yes, Potter, I understand that," she said wryly. "Now, hurry along, you go first so that they all know where you're going."

"Sure." James stepped forward, taking a pinch of green powder offered by the professor. He then walked over to the fireplace and stepped inside, yelled "Potter Mansion, Godric's Hollow" and threw down the powder, disappearing into green fire and vanishing.

Lily had read about Floo travel, but had never seen it actually performed. She gasped, and then noticed she was the only one a little shocked, if affected at all. She was reminded yet again that she was not all-knowing as she seemed.

The luggage went next, followed by Grace, Peter, Mary, Remus, and Alicia. All who remained now were Lily, Jenna, and Sirius, as well as Professor McGonagall.

"You had better all go at once," she said worriedly, looking at her watch. "The door's almost closed."

"Will we all fit?" Lily asked anxiously. She didn't want to miss the opening they'd struggled to get, but was hesitant to squeeze into the fireplace with two other people.

"Yes, you'll all fit, yes." Professor McGonagall threw some Floo Powder into the fire and emerald flames appeared. "All of you, at once, go!"

"Come on girls!" Sirius said, grasping both their hands. But before either of them could tear their hands away or yell at him he dragged them into the fire and yelled "Potter Mansion, Godric's Hollow" and then they were spinning, and all Lily could see was green and the colours of their clothes...

With a heavy thump Lily landed on a pile of logs, lodged between Sirius and Jenna in a position she would have laughed at had she not been in it herself. She could hear yelps and laughter, but was struggling for breath so hard that she didn't think about that.

Sirius was untangled from her, and finally she and Jenna could stand in a very large fireplace inside a very large and fancy hall. Lily stepped out, brushing ash off of her clothes and looking around.

The hall was huge, the roof bewitched like the one at Hogwarts in the Great Hall. Outside it was grey-skied and almost sunless, despite the coming spring. A large staircase led up to a second floor, the floors a dark, polished wood. Their audience, not including James and the others, consisted of a small house elf, a handsome young man and pretty woman, as well as a girl their own age.

"You OK?" James asked her, grinning. "Sirius fell on you pretty hard..."

"I'll survive," she managed, feeling a bruise coming on her backside. Jenna stepped out, also scraping ash from her shirt and jeans. The others looked much more presentable and much less ruffled.

The man cleared his throat pointedly, making James turn around. "Oh, yes, of course. Lily, Jenna, Sirius, this is my uncle Brian and my aunt Tracy Potter. Uncle, Aunt, this is Lily Evans, Jenna McIsaac, and Sirius Black, some more of my friends."

"And then some, I hear," Brian said with a knowing grin, looking at Lily. "Welcome, all of you."

"This is Lauren Bailey," Tracy added, placing her hands on the shoulders of the teenager. "She's the daughter of a friend of ours, and she had to come with us from Canada."

Lauren smiled widely. "Hey." Her accent was noticeable, if slight.

"Why are you here, if you don't mind?" James asked his aunt and uncle. "Where're Mum and Dad?"

"Funny story, actually," Brian said airily. "They got an urgent call from Slovakia last night, the wee hours maybe, and asked me to come here and receive you and all your guests in case they don't get back in time. Which they haven't, and won't."

"Mum and Dad are gone?!" James exclaimed, looking surprised. "But they're the ones who set this all up!"

"Yeah, and Phillip feels really bad about abandoning it, but from Slovakia they have to go to Chile and then to Cuba, so they aren't going to make this party at all. You're stuck with us!" Brian sounded delighted. "We're more fun," he told the others, who looked uneasy.

It was Lauren who came to the rescue, of all people. "Come on girls, we'll go to our wing before we get tied up in too much of anything," she said, levitating a trunk. She turned on her heel and started up the grand staircase, followed hastily by the other six girls. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter stayed a moment longer as James talked with his relatives. Then they also trekked up the staircase to settle in their wing.

* * *

Lily collapsed on the bed she'd claimed in the room for four. She, Jenna, Alicia, and Lauren Bailey were sleeping in here, with Grace, Mary, Joanne, and Alice White, a Hufflepuff who had arrived before them in the room down the hall. The rest of the girls would also be in rooms for four, down most of the south wing. The boys had the north wing of the huge manor, with the main floor boasting its large kitchen, dining hall, lounges, library, and dancing halls. Outside was a sprawling lawn, with only a few hills and no fences. It was beautiful and much too grand for Lily's taste. 

Lauren was sitting on her bed, asking a few questions as Alicia and Jenna unpacked. She was not what Lily would have expected from a North American; she had the white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, as well as the body and fashions, but she didn't have the personality Lily would have expected. She was funny, and polite, and Lily guessed outgoing.

"So, Lily," Lauren said now. Lily propped herself on her elbows so she could look at the person she was talking to. "How do you know the family?"

"I know James," Lily replied, a bit puzzled. Hadn't she figured that one out?

"Oh–I thought you might know his parents, seeing as Brian and Tracy were talking about how disappointed they were about you."

Lily could feel a blush creeping into her cheeks. She wasn't used to attention, besides the kind she got when yelling at James for something.

"No, Lily's dating James," Jenna said bluntly, laying a dress out on her bed.

"Jenna!" Alicia and Lily exclaimed at once. "That was uncalled for," Alicia added.

"What? It's true."

Lauren looked a bit surprised. Her mouth had formed a small "o" and her blue eyes had widened slightly. "You're dating?"

"Sort of," Lily allowed, feeling uncomfortable. "He's been asking me for ages and I agreed to this party, but not to his girlfriend."

"Oh! That makes more sense, I guess," Lauren said happily. "He didn't introduce you as his girlfriend."

"Is that necessary?" Alicia asked curiously. "I didn't think a boy needed to add the title."

"I guess it's a bit different here," Lauren sighed. "In Canada as soon as you date you're a couple. It's like saying you aren't even dating."

Lily was a bit shocked that this stranger could be so blunt with them. Was she used to meeting new people on such short notice?

Lauren stood up. "Well, come on then. Let's go and find the boys, and Frank and Alice and–"

"Frank Longbottom?" Jenna repeated. "He's here?"

"Yeah, and a couple other people. I can't remember all their names now, but one is Jason or something, and another is Sarah, and one is an Asian girl I can't name for the life of me."

"That's Sarah Laurence and Neela Ballin," Lily filled in, heart speeding up as she got off the bed. Was this Jason person actually him?

"Yeah!" Lauren led them out of the room and down to the kitchen, where James and Sirius were sitting with Frank, Alice, Neela, Sarah, and–

"Jacob!" Lily hurried over to the Jacob Carson, who had stood and was waiting. She hugged him hard, but briefly, remembering she was supposed to be James' date. She caught the pain in his dark blue eyes as she released him and sat with her friends, across the table from him.

The house elf from before and two others were setting out a simple breakfast of buns, eggs, and fruit, bustling about as Grace, Mary, and Joanne arrived too, along with a few Ravenclaws Lily recognized from Arithmancy. They made for quiet a big crowd, so James moved all of them into the dining hall, which sported two long tables similar to those of Hogwarts. Lily found herself seated in between him and Remus, nowhere near Jacob or Lauren.

Lily ate little, despite skipping her actual breakfast. She wasn't so sure about this anymore. When she'd agreed to go to this party she had only been thinking that she owed him her life, and this was a small step in repayment. She hadn't been thinking that she had just kissed Jacob a few minutes before, or that she was starting to gain feelings for them, in different ways. It was making her head hurt.

"You OK?" James asked softly. It hurt her so much when he sounded so concerned and she was crushing on a Slytherin.

"Yeah. I'm just suffering from sleep deprivation." He chuckled and kissed her cheek, making her blush.

By the time they'd all eaten something Brian and Tracy reappeared, along with a box that resembled a Quidditch case and an armload of brooms. "Match outside in ten!" Brian announced, walking through the hall to the large glass doors leading into the green yard. Tracy followed, grinning.

Lily looked at James in astonishment. "Are your parents this spur-of-the-moment?" she asked worriedly.

"No way–Mum would probably fret if she couldn't plan everything in her life. Which is why she frets over me." He stood, encouraging other boys to rise too. "I'm going to get my broom and cloak: see you in ten." He left the hall, as did Sirius, Joanne, and several others. Those that remained were not done eating or were more interested in watching than playing.

Lily also started back to the room to get her cloak, alone. Jenna and Alicia had been smarter than her and already brought theirs, while Lauren was already there. Lily had walked two feet down her corridor when she knew he was there.

Turning around, she came face to face with Jacob abruptly, making her gasp. "Don't do that!" she hissed, heart hammering. "You could give me a heart attack!"

He smiled. "Better than a stroke," he said indifferently, taking her hand and leaning in closer. "They're more dangerous."

"Really?" Lily asked breathlessly, aware of the distance between them–or lack of. He chuckled and kissed her gently, lips barely moving. She didn't move, shocked he had the nerve to snog her in sight of the corridor and anyone who cared to pass by.

"Yep." He stepped back. "How are you?"

"I think I'm having a stroke," she said wryly, a little shaky. "Are you playing or watching?"

"I'll watch. I always liked the ground better than the air, if I could help it."

"Alright then. I have to get my cloak, but then–"

"Lily! And Jacob?" Lauren appeared around the corner, broom and flying cloak in hand. "I forget your last name."

"Carson," Jacob told her politely, his smile in place. "I'll meet you down there, Lily."

"OK." Lily watched as the pair started down the hallway. That had seemed too good of timing to be real.

_Ok, there it is! I hope you liked __it,__ I crammed a lot into one chapter. Next up is the game and a little Canadian games...could it be hockey or something less athletic? LOL if you didn't know I'm Canadian!_

_Oh, and to all Americans who might be reading, if I offended you with anything I said in this chapter I am very sorry. I don't think there's anything racist in it (such a dumb word to use) but I am only human. Thanks!_

_Heiress_


	2. Chapter 2

_Wow, I'm SO SORRY for the very long wait for this story, this chapter, this stuff at all. I'm glad I kept some reviewers, those meant a lot, and I hope some and more come back after my absence!_

_Thanks to **Chocolate Chip Cookie, xSecretEvansx, doing 25 to life in azkaban, phoenixgurl195, LilyHeartsMarauders, **my anonymous **pavi, **my beta **snaplappl21, **and **Katie.Cupcake** for all their reviews. That means a lot!_

_Let me know what you think please!!_

**CHAPTER TWO**

Lily had always liked life simple. She'd enjoyed plain toys, plain clothes, and plain bedspreads when she was little. When she left for Hogwarts, she'd liked the simple meals she got to eat, and the regular schooling she received. She liked life simple.

James' life was not simple.

Not only were his parents absurdly rich, they were influential and known all around the world. Being their son made James a celebrity, to a degree, as the heir to a huge fortune and mansion, as well as the reputation set down by his father and previous fathers.

Lily felt bad for him once the _Daily Prophet _writers showed up.

The Quidditch game had been going well, with an easy pace but tough players, and Lily was enjoying watching. But she was in between Alicia and Jenna at the latter's request, because they didn't trust her to sit with Jacob and pull the act off.

So Lily was one of the first to spot the camera flash over a hedge hiding the neighbour's yard. She thought at first it was a brief flash of sunlight, as now it had strengthened, but once it happened a few times in the same area she became suspicious. A few others were noticing too before Sirius actually pulled up his broom. "Whose over there?" he called, a hint of anger in his voice. James, his aunt and uncle, and all the other players had pulled up too.

There were a few more flashes before they heard a yelp and scurrying. James and Brian flew over to see, and came back furious. "Sasha Coklin," James muttered. "A horrible writer, really, I think this party deserves someone with skill, at least."

Brian laughed, but called an end to the game, with a tie announced. Lauren, Joanne, and Sirius were arguing a rematch later, however, with the game so closely tied.

By noon Lily could see just how much this party was going to be a success. Not only were every single one of her friends, close or distant, present, but also nearly all of Gryffindor House, from fourth-years and up. Quite a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were there too, but Jacob was the only Slytherin again. It didn't seem to bother him, though, as he made friends easily despite his quiet manner. He was soon talking with two teenage Australians.

Lily was standing baffled in the hall she'd come into after Flooing there, marvelling at the decorations. House elves and men alike were stringing the ceiling with banners in red and gold, which also happened to be his family colours. This hall, the main dining hall, and two dancing halls were being opened, as well as a few lounges and the upper floor. The library and east and west wings were going to be off limits.

"Scary, huh?" said a voice behind her. She turned and saw James himself walking toward her. "My parents can still manage to pull this all together while being across the world in Chile."

"I'm sorry they're not here," Lily said, looking around again. "I'd like to see their faces at the end."

"Mum would find something wrong. She's very sharp." He said nothing for a moment, also looking about. "Seventeen."

"An adult."

"Seventh year in school soon."

"Last year."

He turned to her, hazel eyes serious behind his glasses. "Did you know that Sirius and I had a bet when we were in first year about seventh year?"

Lily groaned aloud. "Do I want to know?"

"I think so. He was betting that I will have had at least twenty girlfriends, while I was betting he would have snogged twice as many."

"You blew that bet out of the water," she said sarcastically. "What are you on now, twenty-seven?"

"Keeping count?" he asked mischievously. Lily blushed a little despite herself. "I think a few people are keeping count for fun; they're probably getting a kick out of it." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Anyway, I thought you'd like to know."

"Why would I want to know?"

"Because if you're supposed to be my girlfriend you should know my history," he said. "You know all the other bets. And almost everything else. I'm not very private."

"Except with the big stuff, I hope."

"Anyone can trust me with the big stuff." He winked at her. "What do you think of Brian and Tracy?"

"Very charming; I would have thought they were your parents."

"Brian is a lot like me. I think I inherited almost everything from him, except maybe concentration. The only thing Brian can concentrate on is Qudditch or Tracy."

Lily laughed to hide her faint blush. "That's not a very nice thing to say about your uncle."

"Wait until you hear what he says about me." James rolled his eyes. "It's like an older Sirius."

"Your best friend and uncle; maybe there's a connection?"

"Maybe." He paused again. "Do you want to take a walk?"

Lily hesitated; she usually wasn't this civilized with James, and it was out of character for her to be so lenient. But she nodded, despite herself; partly because it was her role to play, and partly because she was curious about his intentions.

He offered his arm to her, looking so like a gentleman Lily laughed. He frowned, confused. "What's so funny?"

"You've never offered your arm to anyone in your life, have you?" she asked, grinning, as she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow.

"Yes, I have, but they were all older women and it was expected. I thought it might charm you." They started out, first leaving the mansion and heading outside. Besides the yard there was a beautiful little flower garden, with an ornate fountain that stood empty now. They could see house elves cleaning it out, though.

"So, Lily. How are your parents?" James asked airily, in the fashion of a man starting a polite conversation.

She chuckled. "They're fine, last I heard. A little tentative to let me here, mind you. You're lucky you got me."

"I would have written to them and explained I absolutely adored you and that they had to let you go," he assured her quite seriously. "What have you told them of me?"

"What do I usually say of you?" she asked back. He paused, looking thoughtful.

"You say I'm annoying. And rude. And obsessive."

"That's what I've told them." Lily caught the hurt expression on his face before he hid it again behind his jovial mask. And it wasn't until that moment that she stopped to think maybe she hurt him more than she had thought.

They continued walking, through and around the gardens, talking idly of their lives and families. Lily learned he had a very extensive family, living mostly in England, but he had some in Russia, Israel, and Japan.

"We Potters are known a great deal for our brains and charm," he said proudly. "I have a lot to live up to."

"I can imagine. I really pity you."

"Oh? You wouldn't want all the riches and fame?"

"Never. I'd hate it. I like my privacy and comfort."

"Ah, yes, the infamous Lily Evans' love for being alone." He sounded dramatic. "You can't love it as much this week, though, OK? Or else we'll never pull it off."

"I know," she sighed. "I know that, James. The whole reason I'm here is to help you, and I'm going to do it right."

He stopped walking, and suspiciously enough they were hidden from view by a tall hedge. "You didn't come for any other reasons?" he asked, looking straight into her eyes. "Not even a shred of attraction to me in any form?"

"Of course–Lord, James, if I hated you absolutely I wouldn't have considered at all."

He pulled up, eyes wide. "You don't hate me anymore?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Should I?"

"No, no–it's just you yelled at the top of your lungs quite a few times that you detested my very being and wished me to hell." He looked strained. "Is that gone?"

"I still think you're annoying," she said firmly, but smiling. "But since this winter you've changed a bit. Or I have."

"Oh. The curse." A silence fell over them at the memory; Lily had been cursed severely and had almost died in the hospital wing that January, and had learned afterwards it had been a Death Eater's curse, one of Lord Voldemort's followers.

"So...Are we friends?" he asked hopefully. Lily saw so much anticipation in his face she buckled underneath its intensity.

"Sort of. I think we still have a way to go."

"OK. But it's better than nothing."

"Yeah."

James offered his arm again, and they started walking again.

"Hey, James?"

"Yeah?"

"Who gave you my address?"

He laughed out loud, his mischievous glint in his eyes. "That I cannot reveal. I promised."

"Jenna." Lily sounded more resigned that angry. "I should have known. She can't keep her mouth to herself for the life of her."

"How do you mean?"

"Jenna talks a lot. Don't trust her with big stuff; she'll blab. Alicia's good for it though."

"Speaking of Alicia..." James sounded pleased. "She and Remus make a good couple, don't they?"

"Has he said anything?"

"He hasn't had to. Moony tends to go silent whenever in the thinking process."

"Oh. So he really likes her, doesn't he?"

"Yep. Fell head over heels. Now he can't bother me so much."

Lily ignored that comment to avoid discomfort. "But they're still in school. They still have lots of time to decide on anything serious."

"Maybe not. With the war going on so close, people are marrying left and right. Do you know who the Malfoys are?"

"Sort of. Lucius Malfoy graduated when we were in our third year."

"Yeah, he and his family are extremely rich. They're also purebloods, and he's set to marry Sirius' cousin Narcissa once she's out of school."

"They still arrange marriages?" Lily said loudly, surprised.

"To keep the flow of pureblood, yeah. The Malfoys and Blacks are big supporters of ousting Muggle-borns and half-bloods and the like; they're also big supporters of You-Know-Who."

Lily fell silent for a moment, letting the seriousness envelop her. "Is that true?"

"I think so. Sirius' brother Regulus is a Slytherin, as were all the Blacks, and all the Malfoys. You-Know-Who was Slytherin too; some say he was related to the founder."

"That's irony for you," Lily said bitterly. "Stupid wizards who can talk to snakes and kill people with one spell. It's evil, pure and simple."

"Lots of people agree, Lily. The Longbottoms, for instance, and the Lovegoods, and Andromeda in Sirius' family...Lots of people. I just don't remember them all. We had a meeting here last year about it; even Dumbledore came."

"Were you even allowed near that room?"

"Nope; Sirius and I were kicked outside and spells were put on the door. We didn't hear anything, but I knew all of them hated You-Know-Who."

Just then James looked down and noticed Lily's necklace. It was a simple gold chain and a simple little garnet, her birthstone, hung from it.

"Where did you get the necklace from?"

"Christmas. An anonymous sender." She gauged his reaction carefully, but didn't notice any flick of emotion. So she didn't consider it.

* * *

Later that evening Lauren Bailey gathered Lily, Alicia, Jenna, Alice White, Joanne, and a few others into one of the lounges on the first floor. Curiously, though, it was only lit by a few lamps and candles. Lauren told them all to sit down and get comfortable as she left again.

The others were Sarah Laurence, Neela Ballin, Olivia Stock from Ravenclaw, Haley Robbins from Hufflepuff, and Veronica Hill, also from Ravenclaw. Everyone was from sixth-year.

"What do you suppose she's got us here for?" asked Neela. "Some kind of initiation?"

"Probably; she is North American, after all." That was Sarah.

"Just because she's Western doesn't mean she's a freak," Alicia said sternly, glaring at Sarah. "That's prejudice and racism."

Lily and Jenna giggled with everyone else, but Sarah and Alicia didn't find it funny.

Lauren came back, this time with the boys. James, Remus, Sirius, Jacob, Frank Longbottom, Evan Grissom, Alex Jackson, Will Lakes, Garret Walsh, and the two Australians, who introduced themselves as Mark Ryan and Luke Bishops.

"Alright, now we have even numbers...I think." Lauren made a fast count. "Yep, eleven and eleven. I'll be right back–don't be too loud."

She left again.

James turned to the settled crowd of girls. "So what's this all about?"

"I dunno," Lily replied. "She hasn't said."

"We think it's a Canadian ritual," Jenna said lazily, lounging in an armchair. This room was more for comfort than style. There were several sofas and chairs and tables inside, which they all now moved together in a rough circle. When Lauren came back she was loaded with every favourite English sweet; Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Cauldrons and Frogs, Liquorice Wands, Ever-Lasting Blowing Gum, Sugar Quills–the varieties went on. And she'd thrown in some of her own favourites.

"These are Lemon Pops; you eat two or three and you'll pucker for at least a week...oh, and Salem Sluice, really popular in my school, it's like Butterbeer except sweeter...And these, these are amazing," she said, holding up a round ball. "Fashioned after the gob ball in North America; it never ends, and its flavours are whatever comes to your mind. Roast beef, cherries, yam...Whatever suits your fancy."

In the end only the boys were brave enough to try the never-ending gob ball, and they were already obsessed by the time everyone had some kind of sweet. Then Lauren took a seat on a sofa and waved her wand, conjuring pillows and blankets. "These are for comfort only, not sleeping," she warned, distributing them. "Anyone who falls asleep before midnight is subjected to free-style magic."

"What kind of game is this?" James asked now, tucking a pillow behind his head. Lauren grinned. "A game we love over in Canada, called truth-or-dare."

"It sounds lethal," Lily commented, biting off the legs of a Chocolate Frog.

"Truth-or-dare is only as exciting as your minds are creative."

Nearly every girl moaned aloud, and nearly every boy split into wide grins. The exceptions were Lauren and Jacob.

"Are you Englishmen dirty?" she asked cautiously, looking directly at James. "Mr Potter?"

"They think we are," James said. "But this sounds much more fun than our usual games; we should be able to pull out something new."

Lily rolled her eyes at Alicia next to her on the floor, leaning against a sofa which held Alice, Joanne, and Veronica. Lauren, beside Neela and Sarah, grinned as she leaned back; Haley Robbins and Olivia Stock were also in arm chairs.

"It's easier to play than to explain, but I think I should set down some rules. Whose dating someone in the room?"

Lily forgot to raise her hand until Alicia nudged her in the ribs with her elbow. Then her hand shot up to join those of James, Alice, and Frank. "Alright; those people cannot be dared to do anything that involves romantic contact with another person besides their partner."

That was simple enough.

"Anyone dating someone not present?"

Alex Jackson, Mark Ryan, and Veronica Hill raised their hands. "OK; those people are fair game, but an oath is to be taken that not one word of this game shall leave the room under pain of humiliation."

Veronica looked curious rather than upset. Alex and Mark looked intrigued. Lauren conjured papers, which she passed around to everyone for signatures. "Lastly...No loss of clothing, body parts, or normal bodily functions."

Sirius huffed loudly. "Is this supposed to be fun?" he demanded, earning himself several pillows in the face. Just then Lily noticed an absence.

"Where's Peter?"

"Sleeping; the little boy was up past his bed time again." Sirius rolled his eyes as James and Remus laughed silently.

"Alright then." Lauren received the documents back and cast a silent spell on it, which made it glow slightly and the fade to normal. "Done."

"How does this game work?" Haley asked from the floor.

"Truth-or-dare is a classic game designed to get the dirty secrets from someone or to get revenge from past pranks. I'll start by asking someone a question." Lauren turned to Sirius. "Sirius, do you pick to tell a truth or do you choose to do a dare?"

"Dare," he said promptly.

"Whatever he chooses I will respond appropriately with a dare for him to do or a question he has to answer." Lauren grinned widely. "You have to eat five Lemon Pops within thirty seconds."

Sirius scoffed at the easy dare, but at the end of his fifth swallow of the sour candy he looked very sick. He smiled tightly, cheeks slightly withdrawn.

"And then Sirius will ask someone if they want a truth or dare, and the game goes as such. Try and keep it within the room, though."

"This is easy," Sirius said. "Jenna, truth or dare?"

"Truth," she said. She looked very unlikely to rise from the arm chair to even do a dare.

"Did you and Evans plan the kissing bit last fall?" he asked.

"Nope; that was on our own. Poor Black knows he's a target." Jenna smiled sweetly at him before picking Luke Bishops on the other side, who also picked truth.

The game went on for a few minutes as everyone grew accustomed to it. With Lauren as the regulator no one was picking anything outrageous–yet.

Alicia finished off by picking James, who picked dare after a moment's consideration. "I dare you to..." She rummaged through the pile of sweets before finding a Chocolate Frog and pulling out her wand. She cast a spell on it, but nothing seemed to happen.

"Eat this," she said, handing it to him. He took it, sniffed it, but it didn't smell any different. He then downed the entire thing and promptly pulled a brilliant face.

"UUGH! What did you DO to it?"

"Made it taste like pomegranates," Alicia said simply, tucking her wand back into her pocket. "I know you hate them."

"Traitors," James choked out to Remus and Sirius, who were laughing along with the rest of the boys.

Once James could speak again James chose Lily. She picked truth, afraid of his dares.

"What is your middle name?"

That was unexpected. "Marie," she said warily. "Why?"

"That was one of the few things I didn't know about you."

There was a fair bit of snickering as Lily rolled her eyes and chose Jacob, who had yet to be picked.

"Truth."

She had to think for a moment. "Who is the person you hate the most? And you can't say You-Know-Who," she said quickly. "He doesn't count as a person."

"Here here," Alex and Evan agreed, raising bottles in her direction.

Jacob thought for a second before replying with an unexpected answer. "Jennifer Blane, that Ravenclaw who graduated last year; she was the most obnoxious person I'd ever met."

"So was it you who jinxed her with boils last year?" Frank asked. Jacob smiled. "I wish it had been me; sadly, it was Regulus Black."

"Wow; little Regulus is being spontaneous." Sirius sounded awed.

Jacob then asked Alice, who picked dare.

"Snog Frank full and flaming," Jacob said, smiling tightly. A couple of people snickered, but Alice stuck her chin up and walked over to her boyfriend, whom she kissed in full view of everyone. They cheered as the two broke apart, grinning.

Lily was starting to see why Lauren had rules set in place. As the minutes went on and people took their turns the players started becoming sly and cunning, The boys were looking for a loophole, and Lily was quite disgusted by it despite knowing them. She couldn't blame them; they were, after all, only teenage boys.

The game was becoming more and more dangerous, in a sense. Secrets were being spilled, dares becoming more and more clever. Lauren looked impressed with them rather than angry; perhaps in Canada her schoolmates didn't think of such creative things.

Again Lily was asked, this time by Lauren herself. She asked a surprising question.

"How long has James been chasing you?"

"How did you know about that?" asked Sirius loudly, earning him a punch in the arm from his best friend.

"I have my sources." The blonde looked to Lily. "So?"

Lily looked at James, trying to remember the year he'd started his quest for her hand. She saw his face was calm, not the smirk or laugh he usually had on. He was testing her.

"I think it was late third-year," she said at last, looking to her friends for confirmation. "After Charms, we'd just learned that excellent spell for invisibility."

"And when he asked you and you said no he went on and on about it in the common room and you got really angry and that was when the whole asking and answering started," Jenna drawled, picking at her nails. "Since then it's been an ordeal; James would ask her out and she would think of creative ways to say no. It's become something of a dramatized production."

"Really?" Lauren asked in interest. Mark Ryan and Luke Bishops also looked intrigued. "And what did James do every time you said no?"

"I'd think of more charming ways," he said airily, leaning back in the sofa. "It got really tiring sometimes, and I'd want to give up, but I knew I couldn't."

"Aw, how sweet!" Hayley said, smiling. "I thought it was more shallow than that."

"James, shallow?" Sirius said, shocked. "Never!"

"Alright, alright, on with the game," Lauren said, still smiling. "Lily, choose someone."

"Alicia," Lily said. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth, please."

Lily had to think hard. Alicia was her best friend and Lily knew almost everything about her. Except one thing.

"What have you and Remus been doing while cooped up in the library?" Lily asked slyly. There were a few "oooh" 's around the room, particularly from the boys. Alicia and Remus were both blushing in the dim light.

"Homework," she said simply.

"Oh, come on," James said eagerly. "You and Moony don't just do homework in there, do you?"

"Oh, I'm sure we do," Alicia said firmly. "It's just the library is such a romantic setting; dusty bookcases, cranky old woman in charge, glaring light...Just sets the mood, right Remus?"

He was laughing too hard to answer.

By eleven o'clock a few people were nodding off. Garret, Veronica, and Olivia looked sleepy, and were tickled or wacked awake a few times. But before midnight the three of them had fallen asleep, as had Will and Evan. The five of them got the honour of a full-face spell that made them look like trolls, pixies, or, as a very forceful suggestion, Slytherins.

"No, his face is more narrow here," Sirius was saying as he guided Lauren through the spell. "And his eyes are way darker."

Lily chose not to participate. She didn't like Snape's face anyway, let alone imitated on a fellow Hogwartian.

Now, with only seventeen people left, the questions got a little deeper, the dares just a little more wild. Lily tried to pick truth as often as she could, but she couldn't always without protests. She was waiting for the dare to come along that would have her regretting this whole decision to play.

By midnight Hayley, Frank and Mark also dropped into sleep. They didn't get face alterations, but they were going to be excluded from Lauren's next game. Lily was dreading it.

Half an hour later, after narrowly avoiding a dare by finding a loophole in it, Lily noticed Jenna, Sarah, and Alex were also asleep. They were put on the sofas as the remaining players moved to the floor.

Lauren counted again. "James, Sirius, Remus, Jacob, Luke, Lily, Alicia, Lauren, Alice, and Neela," she said thoughtfully. "Ten even, right?"

"Yeah," James said, stifling a yawn. "What is this?"

"A game that has no rules," she said with a wolf grin. "Again, another North American game. Not as creative, I don't think, but a bit more gossip-worthy."

The nine listeners perked up at this. "What is it?"

She grinned wider, if possible. "Spin the bottle."

_Is that an OK cliffy, or is it like way too dramatic for something so common place? I thought it was fun, but that's just me. And I had to end it because the chapter was way too long, I think like ten pages or something, so you're all very lucky. _

_Review!! Please!!_

_Heiress_


	3. Chapter 3

_OK, hopefully I made some people squirm when I broke off after the last chapter, and hopefully this is pretty good followup. Let me know what you think!_

_Thank you to **LilyHeartsMarauders**, **siabrach**_**, **_**Love-Pink26, complicated123, doing 25 to life in azkaban, xSecretEvansx, pyromaniac007 **for reviewing, I knoew it's frustrating that I have nothing up. THANK YOU._

**THREE**

Lily felt a dreadful feeling crawl up and down her spine as Lauren spoke the name of this new and deadly game. All the boys looked puzzled, and all the girls had an apprehensive look on their faces.

Lauren smiled widely. "Lighten up, you guys," she said, her North American slang coming in. "It's just a game."

She pulled out her wand and conjured up a bottle-green bottle, empty and without any label or any signs of a label. But it did have bright gold letters across it that read "Spinning Bottle".

Lauren instructed them to make a circle, boys on one side and girls on another. Lauren sat between Lily and Alicia, across from James. She took the bottle and placed it in the centre of their ring, like a sacrifice. Lily felt uneasy; Lauren was making a big deal out of this game. And she hadn't even explained any rules yet!

"Alright then. 'Spin the bottle' is very simple." Lauren smiled widely. "We all take turns, like in truth or dare, except it's basically all dare. But there is a chant."

Lily got goosebumps. And now they would learn the summoning words that would offer this mystical bottle to the magic they all use, and will be consumed...

"Lily?" Neela whispered, elbowing her in the ribs. "Are you still awake?"

"Yeah; I just daydreamed for a minute there. Sorry." She focused back on what Lauren was saying. She was explaining the chant.

"We'll all say these words, and each phrase means a part of the body that is involved."

All nine pairs of eyebrows went up into hairlines. Lauren raised her hands. "Don't worry, no loss of clothes. I don't think. We'll see how daring everyone is."

Lily almost groaned aloud, but she bit her tongue.

Lauren cleared her throat. "'Kiss her hand, you fortunate soul, caress her cheek before she grows old. Her lips, her lips, you lucky man, or pick a place, if you can.'"

Lily suddenly realized what this game was. She couldn't contain this groan; it escaped her lips in a prayer of sorts, looking up at the ceiling. Why, why...

"Yeah, it's a kissing game." Lauren winked across the room at James, who was grinning wide. "The person spins the bottle and we all chant. You can change the words to fit a boy or girl, and when you get to the end you just start over again. Whatever phrase you're in determines which part of her–or him–you get to kiss.

"And yes, if you want to kiss someone somewhere a little more..." She paused to search for the right word. "Dangerous, then you have to get to them first. A promise, a secret, they can ask for something. Unless, of course, they don't care. And for the purposes of the game you will only kiss people of the opposite sex."

There were a couple disgusted looks from the boys, particularly Sirius, but no other reactions. Lauren smiled. "Then let us begin."

Like the last game, Lauren went first. She tucked her wand away and spun the bottle, the gold letters flashing in the dim light as it spun dizzily.

"Kiss his hand, you fortunate soul, caress his cheek before he grows old," Lauren started, chanting at a steady beat. "His lips, his lips, you lucky ma'am, or pick a place if you can."

The bottle was still spinning. It was as if this was some kind of ritual, and their voices lifted up to carry the bottle in some kind of evil magic. Lily felt her hair on the back of her neck standing straight up. But they started the chant over again, and ended in the lips part as the bottle finally stopped.

Pointed at Sirius.

"And now I kiss him," she said unnecessarily, crawling forward on all fours to lean into him. He was grinning from ear to ear.

Gently, Lauren pressed her lips to his, and then pulled away. "Your turn."

Sirius nodded mutely, and spun the bottle.

They started the words over again, ending in the hand part as the bottle stopped, pointing to Neela.

"Neela Ballin," he said appreciatively. "At least you're pretty."

She smiled thinly and extended her hand for him to kiss chastely.

The game was dangerous. Lily could see how it was more gossip-worthy, as Lauren said, as the girls seemed very reluctant for the boys to kiss them. Except Alice. She didn't mind, from the looks of it. But that's because she's used to it, Lily thought to herself. What if it lands on me?!

Fate again intervened.

The bottle stopped spinning in the cheek phrase; but who–?

The Australian, Luke Bishops. Well, that wasn't too bad at all.

"What's your name again?" he asked as he leaned toward her.

"Lily Evans," she said with a faint smile He smiled back and pressed his lips fleetingly to her cheekbone, trailing down just a bit, like a caress. She felt her cheeks flush as he pulled away, and he winked as he went back to his seat.

Glancing over at James, Lily could see he was emotionless. Fleetingly jealous. Lily couldn't contain her smile. Let him have a taste of this medicine; it would be good for him, after all.

It was her turn to spin, and as the chant began again Lily could feel a tense emotion in her stomach start to build. None of these boys recieved any feelings from her, and now she would have to be intimate with them! What if it landed on James? Or worse-

Lily was really beginning to hate the whole idea of fate and destiny. As if some mind-reader had stolen a peek into her head and put her worst fears to reality, the bottle slowed, and stopped, pointing at no one other than Jacob Carson.

Even worse, it was the verse of the song that demanded mouth-to-mouth.

Lily almost groaned aloud as the room erupted in snickers. All of the Hogwarts students knew the ages-old tension between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and James and his friends knew the story with Jacob.

Was she all wrong to think that Lauren Bailey was out to make her feel as awkward and embarrassed as possible?

As Lily crawled forward to close the distance, she heard him whisper "Is Potter going to kill me?"

Lily glanced over at James at these words. He looked absolutely livid, his hands clenched into fists. Lily smiled to herself as she looked back at Jacob. "I won't let him."

"Good." With that final say Lily pressed her lips very gently to his, intending to end it there and keep up the whole charade as James' girlfriend. But when she moved to pull away and he brushed across her lips with his tongue she very quickly separated herself from him, eyes slightly wide. He smiled and winked at her before sitting back and appeared to be indifferent.

Lily returned to her spot, meeting Alicia's eyes as she did so. Her friend looked taken aback and wary, as if Lily was risking what she had agreed to do for James. Lily ignored the look and faced the circle again, face composed.

Jacob span the bottle now, the chant resuming. He watched it, as if trying to determine where it would go. Lily mumbled the song, trying to figure him out. He was bold, underneath all that quiet and logic.

Was she such a horrible judge of character that she had thought wrong about James _and _Jacob?

The bottle stopped in the cheek part on Alicia. Lily had to smother a giggle as Alicia looked horrified for a split second. Glancing across the circle at James, Remus, and Sirius, they all had muderous expressions on their faces. Perhaps they thought Jacob Carson was getting a little close on some territory...

* * *

James gritted his teeth together as Lily leaned forward to kiss Carson. Damn that conniving snake! He was getting closer to Lily with every event of these stupid games and all James got was her middle name and the viewing pleasure.

Wait, wait. _Pleasure_?

He almost bit off his tongue as he clicked his jaw together. He would NOT let this get to him. NOT.

And then Carson kissed Alicia.

James was sure Remus was going to hit him, he looked so furious. Remus angry was a rare sight, but this kind of ire was only ever brought on by Snape's cracks about werewolves and someone messing with his friends. James had never seen his mate get upset over a girl. Let alone someone like Alicia Klein.

Perhaps they weren't doing things in the library...but somewhere else.

James would have laughed had it not been Carson kissing Alicia.

After that tense interlude the huge clock tower outside chimed twice; two o'clock in the morning. James suddenly wanted to call it a night and ask that everyone leave; he wasn't thrilled with these games anymore. For all he knew Lauren Bailey could have six more and would all get worse.

Lauren seemed to read his mind. "Alright, that's enough for one night," she cajoled, getting to her slippered feet. Everyone kind of awoke from a trance at these words, as if they had been half-asleep and unaware of the world around them. Lily looked startled.

"Wake up the rest of them and we'll head back," James told his friends. Sirius and Remus started, shaking people awake. Lily, Alicia, and Alice helped, rousing Jenna, Veronica, and Haley before they were all awake. Twenty-two sleepy, irritated, hormonal teenagers should have been a warning to them, but of course, they were the teenagers.

Lauren cleaned up the candy as James and the others magically folded blankets and fixed pillows and sofas. Hopefully there would be no trace of them in the morning. Hopefully.

"Alright, let's go four or five at a time," Lauren suggested. "James, Sirius, Lily, Alice, and I will go first. You guys give us a couple minutes, and then the next group can go."

Feeling like she was sneaking out of the Restricted Section of Hogwarts' library, Lily followed closely behind Lauren, Alice beside her, James and Sirius behind them. The house was silent, except for their muffled footsteps and slight creaking sounds that made Lily jump at each noise.

"Settle down Evans," Sirius said through a huge yawn. "It's just a house."

She turned around and stuck her tongue out at him. "Yeah, well, shove it, Black."

She heard his soft laughter as she turned back to run right into Lauren, who had stopped. She was looking very intently at whatever was around the corner, which no one else could see.

"What is it?" Alice whispered. James stepped forward, squinting in the darkness.

"I think someone is over there," Lauren answered, voice hard. "But it isn't anyone in the house."

"Someone broke in?" Lily said quietly, putting her hand on her pocket, where her wand was located.

"No; they were let in."

James scoffed. "Please. This house is magically monitered and protected. No one would be let in if they were a threat."

"Maybe the person who let them in didn't see them as a threat," Lauren murmured. She drew her wand out cautiously, the look on her face very serious.

Lily began to get suspicious. How could this outsider know if it was someone from outside? How did she even know someone was there? She didn't hear or see anything. And how could this stranger determine so quickly that this intruder was let inside peacefully?

Suddenly there was a huge bang as a red blast errupted from Lauren's wand. There was a yell from the corner as garish red light illuminated the form of a man-a huge man-being Disarmed.

"What the hell?!" James bellowed. He wipped out his own wand along with everyone else and advanced slowly, his hands shaking slightly. But when he got there-

Nothing.

"Where did he go?" James demanded, looking partly at Lauren. The Canadian looked grim.

"He Disapparated."

"With no noise?" Sirius said flatly. "No warning, nothing. I think this is a bit too coincidental, Bailey."

"Is that how you get defensive?" she asked coolly. "Using last names as an insult? I'm afraid it doesn't work on me."

"OK, OK, stop it," Alice said icily. "It's no one's fault. But how _did _you know that someone was there?"

Lauren made a long pause as she debated inside herself. Then she sighed.

"I have the Sight. It's been passed down my family for...generations." She looked burdened as she said this. "It's a blessing and a curse, you could say. I suggested we go first because we were the five strongest people in that room, and should this person be of any threat to us-"

"Wait, wait," James said in a flat, angry tone. "You _knew _this bloke was going to be in my house and you didn't tell anyone?!"

"James," Lily said warningly.

"I knew while we were in the middle of the game," she said calmly. "What was I supposed to do? Jump up and scream about it and cause a right panic?"

No one answered. Everyone from Hogwarts was still jumpy from the Death Eater intrusion that had almost cost Lily her life. That mixed with a threat could have gotten someone hurt.

"Alright, good enough excuse," Sirius said gruffly. "But now what do we do?"

"Now James will go and talk to his aunt and uncle and tell them what happened," she said firmly. "Tell them who it was and how we knew. They'll understand."

"They knew about your having the Sight?" Alice asked curiously.

"Yeah. They're good friends with my parents, so they know almost everything." Lauren looked back at James. "Go, now."

Lily was unaccustomed to anyone besides teachers and his mates telling James to do anything that had effect. But he nodded and left quickly, his steps carrying him away quickly.

"And now we'll all go back before we run into the other groups," Lauren said. "Maybe this should be kept quiet; if you know what I mean."

"Sure, we know." Sirius was still put off, but he did as told and headed for the north wing and the girls headed for the opposite.

* * *

Lily waited until Alicia and Jenna got there to climb into bed and sleep. Even with comforting from Lauren and the image of the empty corridor, Lily was uneasy about this new development. Had she been telling the truth, Lauren Saw someone come in with inside help. She hadn't said who had done it, but she had said they could have been bewitched.

Was this party shaping out to be more than she'd expected? Was Lauren coming here with Brian and Tracy really a coincidence? Was James' parents being gone really so spur-of-the-moment? Or was someone actually behind this, and was also connected to the intrusion tonight?

Lily couldn't find the answers that night, and she'd only wear herself out trying to get them. So she dimmed the lamp and laid down, closed her eyes, and searched for sleep.

* * *

The next morning Lily rolled out of bed looking like a ghoul. She had a quick shower and dressed in jeans and an old T-shirt, not really awake enough to realize she was clothed too casually for the day's activities.

As she went downstairs she also didn't notice that all of the elves were dressed in their finest pillow cases, passing students were dressed in slacks or pretty skirts, or even the house itself draped in red and gold banners, streamers, ribbons, curtains, and lamps.

She didn't notice it at all until James stopped her in the hallway outside the kitchen. "Good morning," he said politely, looking amused. She was about to ask what was so funny when she stopped and noticed what he was wearing: black dress pants, shiny black shoes, and a crimson, pressed shirt. His hair was even combed.

"I'm under-dressed, aren't I?" she asked sheepishly. He nodded.

"It isn't any problem, really, until my other relatives get here," he said quickly. "You don't have to change."

"Yes, yes I do." Lily sighed. "I got close to no sleep last night."

"I can believe that." He sounded grim. "Brian and Tracy weren't very pleased. As soon as everyone else was in bed they sent a whole search party to comb the house and lawns; they didn't find anything, of course."

Lily shivered a little. The thought of someone sneaking into this house with help made her just a little scared. Anything these days could frighten her.

"Well, you go get changed, and I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast," he suggested. Leaning down, he pecked her cheek politely. "Go on."

"Thanks." She turned on her heel and hurried away, a bit flustered. When she got back to her room she changed into a black pair of slacks and a white shirt, tied her hair back, and put on a bit of makeup before going back downstairs, feeling more awake. As he promised, James was sitting at the table with an array of breads, cereals, and fruit on the table.

"Is everyone already finished?" she asked as she sat down.

"No; you and I are the only ones up yet."

She paused in the process of peeling an orange. "What time is it?" she asked tentatively.

"Seven-thirty."

She frowned. "But other students are awake."

"I meant from our group of friends. Jenna, Alicia, Sirius, Remus, and Peter are all still asleep."

Lily frowned. "Why?"

"Why should I know?" She narrowed her eyes. He sounded much too innocent.

"Did you give them something to make them sleep longer?" she asked suspiciously.

"No. I honestly don't know why they're still sleeping." He sounded strained.

Lily looked up at his face closely. Even though he looked tidy and prim, she could tell he was distracted. She used to love that expression on his face because it meant that his attention was away from her. Now it worried her.

"Are you worried about the intruder?" she asked softly.

He shrugged. "I shouldn't be, but I am. No one has ever broken into this house, Lily. No one. Not since it was built. And now..."

"And now someone got inside with help," she whispered, looking down again. "It just goes to show that no one is safe anymore."

"I wish that wasn't true." His voice was dark, menacing. She'd rarely heard that tone on his cheerful, joking words. "I wish some people in the world could stay safe."

"Like who?" she asked curiously. "Who would be the one person you would want to keep safe from everything?"

He looked up and raised one brow at her. She darted her eyes down again, cheeks burning.

"But it doesn't make a difference," he said bitterly. "You-Know-Who has control over anything he wants. He can kill on a whim; torturing people is what he loves. He has followers that would do anything he asked of them. People are hiding in caves, or they've moved across the world just to get away from him."

"James," Lily said sadly. "Talking like that doesn't help. Fear of something just makes the thing more fearful."

"That is some strange philosophy," he said wryly. "Is it from your dad?"

She smiled. "Yeah. He's a professor at the local college in my town." She paused. "He'd probably like to meet you."

"How come?"

"Well, for one thing," she began, popping an orange piece into her mouth, "He's heard me talk about you so much that he wants to see if what I say is really true."

"You say I'm annoying and arrogant," he said flatly, as if recalling from a perfected memory. "What's to confirm?"

She winced. "I'm sorry, James," she said softly. "I really wish I could take all of it back."

"You can make it right, you know," he said cheerfully, sitting up straighter. "Just go out with me for real, or at least once. Just once. You can honestly say the squid is better than me after one date."

She smiled again. "Maybe. After this party and the whole ordeal of meeting everyone and putting on the charade I think I will want a break. But maybe."

He grinned. "Better than what you've said to me before."

"Yeah."

_There is chapter 3 for you. Let me know what you think! _

_Heiress_


	4. Chapter 4

_So, here is chapter 4… And my sincerest apologies for being absent for 2 years. If any of my former fans return to this story, I will be eternally thankful, and happy!_

_For my returning readers, here is a recap: Lily, Jenna, and Alicia, along with about 20 other teens, are at James' mansion, celebrating his birthday. A new girl, Lauren, has arrived, and no one knows what to make of her. They play silly games, and Lauren has a Vision of an intruder in the house. She leads James, Alice, Lily, and Sirius? into the halls to possibly find him, but he vanishes before they can see who it is. Everyone is shaken up by the incident, but it does lead to a charming moment between Lily and James the next morning. Jacob is being a toerag towards Lily, and she's starting to really fall for James. _

_Please, if that isn't enough to jog your memory, reread the chapters (there's only 3) and maybe you'll be as excited as you once were. Thanks!_

_Disclaimer: nope, still not JK Rowling._

**FOUR**

When all of their friends did finally wake up, Lily and James were still sitting in the kitchen, talking about the upcoming events of the week-long celebration. James' birthday wasn't until Thursday, two days away, but his relatives were arriving today, as Lily well knew. It would be a day of boredom, he assured her, and formality and uptight old witches who wanted to pinch her cheeks. She laughed when he said this, grimacing at old, painful memories.

Sirius yawned widely as he walked in, dressed in black dress pants and a black shirt, which he had not buttoned up yet, revealing a wrinkly T-shirt underneath. He was holding his belt in his hand, his hair wild. "What the hell am I doing awake?" he demanded when he laid eyes on his mate, plopping onto a stool. "Seriously, I was having awesome dreams."

"I didn't send anyone to wake you up," James told him. "So don't blame me."

"Evans?" Sirius asked her, his grey eyes accusing.

"Not me."

"Well, who the hell sent that bloody house elf around singing 'Rise and Shine' from when I was three?" he growled, looping his belt into his pants. "Lord, it reminds me of that old hag of a nanny my mother hired."

"She really was a hag," James agreed, pushing coffee towards his friend. Sirius took the cup and downed the entire contents, making a face as he finished.

Alicia wandered down next, bags under her eyes but dressed and made up in a modest, dark blue dress Lily didn't know she'd owned. She mumbled a greeting and then took coffee, adding sugar and milk.

Slowly, as if in trances, Remus, Jenna, Peter, Jacob, Alice, and all the others that had been in last night's activities made their way into the kitchen, and soon the table was full of dozy teenagers. The only one missing was Lauren Bailey.

"I dunno where she is," James murmured when Lily asked him. "Brian and Tracy didn't say she left."

"Good morning!" exclaimed a much too cheerful voice behind Lily, making her cringe. Speak of the devil, and he-or rather, she-shall appear. "Why is everyone so sleepy?" Lauren asked innocently, sliding next to James on a stool. "I thought you Brits had more stamina."

That set Sirius off, who went into a rant about how Englishmen had more stamina than any other male nationality, and not all of it was appropriate. The house elves were covering their ears as they worked, humming songs to drown out his obnoxious explanations.

The clock struck ten, and Lily sighed. The day had only begun.

As James' "girlfriend", Lily was expected to be present upon the arrival of his relatives via Floo, broom, and other various modes of transportation. It involved her mainly sitting in the main hall that she had arrived in, standing as guests came in and making small talk and then sitting back down. Despite James' description of his relatives, she did not expect the strangeness some of them radiated. She had thought of the Potters as something like a noble family; polite, modest, no weird habits or cousins.

She was sadly mistaken. She met a wizard that was covered up to his visible shoulders with tattoos of dragons and burn scars all over him; another wizard that looked like he had emerged from a cave after living there for ten years; a witch who spoke shrilly to Lily of an upcoming doomsday behind her thick glasses; one of his great-aunts actually did pinch her cheek. She watched her go, her face stinging, wondering how on Earth she was going to keep them all straight.

She envied Alicia and Jenna, who were lounging upstairs with the other students, enjoying Butterbeer and more normal company. Maybe they were even playing more of Lauren's games. Lily glanced to the other side of the room, where the girl was chatting with a tiny witch with shocking violet hair. Lily still could not believe that she had led them all into the halls last night with an intruder inside; but she admired her calm. Lily would surely have panicked.

An arm snaked around her waist, and she was pulled against James' broad chest. "How are you faring, love?" he asked dramatically, winking down at her.

"Just fine, I think. Do I sound convincing?"

"Like you've done this a million times," he assured her, and leaned down and kissed her cheek briefly. "Pity that Mum and Dad aren't here though. They made the party such a big deal so that they could meet you."

Lily grimaced at the reminder. "I will never forgive you for that, by the way," she told him.

"And why not? No bodily harm done!"

"That you know of," she muttered under her breath, so that he wouldn't hear.

"James!" A new voice called across the room, feminine and accented. It was a beautiful girl their age, Lily guessed, and had shiny black hair. She was tall, Lily noticed; something like seven inches over five feet. Dressed in a floor-length red gown that Lily would put to shame, she glided over, arms extended. "How are you?" she asked, kissing him on both cheeks. "It's been so long!"

"It has, Eva." James turned to Lily. "Lily, this is Eva Grey, an old family friend from Moscow. Eva, this is Lily Evans."

Eva bent down to kiss Lily's cheeks, and make her feel incredibly awkward. "Such a pleasure to meet you Lily," Eva gushed. "James has always said so much about you."

"That's what I've been hearing," she said dryly, glancing up at him, who looked sheepish. Before he had always been proud.

"I heard your parents couldn't come," Eva said to James, a pout on her full lips. "Such a shame; I haven't seen them in ages!"

"Neither have I," James agreed. "I'm sure they'll be happy to know you came."

"I see Marilyn there; I'll have to say hello. Nice to meet you, Lily." And she flounced off, graceful and quite nauseating.

"She seems nice," Lily said a little bitterly, not sure why she disliked the stranger so strongly.

"Eva was always a bit exuberant." James tightened his hold on her waist. "She's nothing, Lily," he murmured in her ear.

"Why do you think I care?" she whispered back, hating how much the words stung her own ears. His face fell, and he left her to go greet more guests.

House elves were wandering around, platters held high above their heads to reach the waists of the occupants of the ballroom. Lily grabbed a glass of wine off one tray, and took a healthy sip. Jealousy, she admitted, was a feeling she was _not _used to.

By four in the afternoon, James' guests had all arrived, and they were excused from the ballroom to see their friends. Both trekked upstairs to the casual lounge Sirius, Remus, Peter, Alicia, Jenna, Alice, Frank, Jacob, Lauren, and some of the other students had been holed up in since noon. Lily collapsed on a sofa between her two best friends, flipping her hair out of her face. "Lord," she sighed. "He has so many relatives!"

"Tell me about it," James muttered, plopping into an armchair and shoving his hand into his hair, his glasses perched on the end of his nose. "I didn't know they invited Aunt Hilda!"

Sirius grimaced. "That old hag is here?"

Lily vaguely remembered a Hilda. "She seemed nice enough," Lily said.

"Wait until you get to know her," Sirius assured her. "She's a downright conniving witch. She tried to arrange a marriage between James and Narcissa once."

"Narcissa Black?" Lily asked, horrified.

"One and the same," James growled. "Aunt Hilda means well; she just doesn't believe that the Black family could be involved with You-Know-Who."

"Well, can you blame her?" Alice was blunt. "The Blacks are a pureblood family; she wouldn't believe they could disgrace themselves so.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "My mother and Hilda have met; neither liked the other. She could believe my family is involved with the dark side. She is a bit too thick, though."

James chuckled under his breath, and rubbed his temples. "I don't want to go back down there," he groaned. "Sirius, take my place."

"Hell no!" Sirius exclaimed. "And put up with Hilda? I'd rather fight a Chinese Fireball."

"Chicken," Jenna taunted, winking at him from across the room. Frank and Jacob laughed, and Lily looked in their direction. Jacob and Frank seemed to be getting along well; actually, Jacob seemed to get along with everyone.

She doubted herself again; how on Earth had he been sorted into Slytherin if he wasn't sly and deceptive, which she insisted he wasn't?

He caught her looking at him, and winked. She looked away, mentally kicking herself. She was here for James, not Jacob.

Right?


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed/came back. It means a lot to me. Please leave me any comments about what I could improve writing-wise, or if you have any requests/ideas for the plot!_

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I was not born as gifted and talented as JK Rowling, and I haven't discovered how to clone people. _

**FIVE**

Supper was very, very loud. House elves had transformed the ballroom into a dining room, with long tables like the House tables at Hogwarts and draped the room with rich blue silk. Gleaming silverware glinted in the floating candlelight, and the food radiated mouthwatering smells. Lily was seated near the middle, next to James, and Jenna on her other side, across from a pair of witches from Africa and a small wizard who picked at his food. Chatter echoed in the hall, jovial and boisterous. Laughter rang clear, the merriment of wine and friends intoxicating everyone.

Brian and Tracy had expressed their desires of no alcohol present at this dinner to the students earlier that afternoon, but that had only instilled the need for rebellion even more. Sirius and James had personally conjured flasks and Firewhiskey, from which all the boys had enjoyed a sip and the girls had declined. Therefore, they were all acting like idiots and the girls were watching in disgust.

James attempted to spear a baby potato, and ended up shooting it into the face of the small wizard across the table. He dropped his fork with a clatter, and half-stood to try and rectify the mistake, but Lily kicked him under the table. "Sit down," she said from the corner of her mouth. She then looked across to the wizard. "So sorry," she apologized, trying her best innocent face. The wizard shook his head, and ignored her apology and simply wiped his face.

"What the hell are you doing, James?" she hissed under her breath. "Was the drink really necessary?"

"Hey, you aren't the one turning seventeen," he slurred to her, spearing another potato and popping it whole into his mouth. "'Sides," he continued, talking around the food, "if I'm gonna throw a party, I'm doing it right."

She rolled her eyes. "James, this dinner was so you could catch up with old friends," she whispered heatedly. "Not so you could embarrass yourself!"

"Lily, I don't need you being my mother," he told her frankly, and shoved another forkful of food into his mouth.

Lily looked at Jenna helplessly, who was smirking behind her napkin. "Help me!" she murmured, begging her friend with her eyes.

"What am I supposed to do, Lily? You're his girlfriend, you should have stopped him."

Lily scoffed. "As if anyone could tell him what to do." She looked around, wondering what on Earth she could do in order to distract Brian and Tracy from their nephew's strange behavior.

A low note of music coursed through the room, interrupting her panic. A small band had appeared at the base of one of the staircases, consisting of a guitar, cello, drums, and violin. Lily stared, just as everyone else in the room did.

Brian and Tracy stood up from their seats, hand in hand, and made their way to the small space at the food of the stairs in front of the band. Another low note struck, and then a romantic song began playing, the violin softly playing behind the cello, the drums gentle.

Lily watched as more couples stood to join Brian and Tracy, moving slowly to the music. She was entranced; so many twosomes, still happy and in love. It was promising, and mildly surprising to her. She had imagined that, in the wizarding world, more couples would have divorced. She didn't know why she assumed this; she just did.

Supper was now generally forgotten, and elves came out to clear away the food. James hugged his plate to his chest, glaring at the elf that tried to take it. Sirius, down the table, was drawling a horrible pub song Lily didn't really want to know where he learned from. As the song ended and another began to play, faster-paced, Brian and Tracy made their way back to the table. Tracy bent down to Lily while her husband chatted amicably with the witches across the table. "Lily, take James upstairs," she murmured to her, not at all angry. "He doesn't look very well."

Lily agreed; James looked very green. "Thanks, Tracy," Lily said gratefully, and stood up. "James," she said softly, hoping she sounded convincing. "Let's go."

"Where?" he demanded a little loudly. Lily quickly bent down and kissed him briefly, not knowing what else to do to shut him up.

"Upstairs," she purred, praying she was succeeding in enticing him out of the party and to his bed, the only acceptable place for him to be right now. And she did succeed; his eyes got bright and he stood hastily from his seat, and took her hand tightly.

She led him out of the hall and to his room, all the while encouraging him like she would to a three-year-old who didn't want to eat their vegetables. James complained that he was leaving the party, but Lily assured him tomorrow night's party would be much better.

Finally, she got him into his bed, after removing his shoes and tie and taking off his glasses. He was snoring softly, looking perfectly angelic, she had to admit. An outsider wouldn't have guessed that he was the biggest prankster in Hogwarts, along with Sirius.

But, she reminded herself, anyone could tell that Sirius was trouble, even just by looking at him.

And as if she had called his name, Sirius stumbled into the room, as he was sharing it with his best mate, and froze when he saw Lily sitting at the edge of James' bed.

"Did I interrupt?" he asked, sounding so concerned Lily laughed softly.

"No, no, Sirius," she assured him. "I was just making sure he didn't choke on his vomit or anything."

"That's disgusting," Sirius muttered, and he collapsed into his own bed, groaning. "Damn, Firewhiskey is brutal stuff."

"Well, hopefully you've learned a lesson then, idiot," Lily snarked at him.

"Oi! I thought we were being all friendly, Evans."

"You thought wrong, Black." She stood up, a smirk on her face. "Good night," she said in a sing-song voice, just to be rude. He fingered her as she closed the door, making her chuckle.

"Tucking him in?"

Lily jumped, and spun around to find Jacob leaning against the wall. "You scared me," she said needlessly.

"The second time." He did not sound pleased.

"Well, could we not make it a habit?"

"I'll see what I can do." He walked toward her and stopped very close. "What about the part that comes after being frightened?"

Lily pulled away from him, heart racing. "That too," she whispered. "I'm here with James, Jacob. Not you."

"But you didn't want to be here in the first place, Lily," Jacob reminded her. "He forced you to come here."

"I… Look, Jacob, stop playing games with me." She looked straight into his piercing blue eyes. "I'm here for a reason, and you will not distract me."

"You let me distract you in the library," he murmured to her. "You let me distract you at Christmas. What makes now any different?"

She took another step back, and felt her shoulders press against the brick wall behind her. "Jacob. Stop it."

"Why?" Now he sounded hurt, not dangerous. "Why are you even playing this game, Lily? Potter has never acted sincere toward you."

She bit her tongue. He was right, in a way. But there had been moments, with James, when she had seen more than the prankster and snob she was used to. He was a real person, underneath. With real fears and real feelings. She had just never believed it.

"You're wrong, Jacob," she said quietly. She was torn. Jacob was so real-she had never had to guess as to what he wanted from her. But with James-she didn't know if he was telling the truth.

"Prove me wrong," he dared her. "Tell me you have feelings for him, and not me."

Her eyes widened. "Jacob!" she exclaimed, and then mentally kicked herself for being loud. "Jacob, don't even start."

"I'm starting, Lily." He moved another step closer, and this time she had nowhere to go. "I like you," he whispered. "And I don't want Potter getting in my way."

"That's why you came?" she growled, furious. "So that you and James could fight over me?"

"He says he's in love with you," Jacob said sarcastically. "He says he would never hurt you. And there he is, being the enormous moron he's known to be. You're better than that, Lily."

She was livid. "Get away from me," she spat, and put her hands on his chest to shove him away.

He grabbed her wrist. "Lily," he murmured. "Look, I just don't think he wants you for you."

"What the hell do you know?" she hissed. "You don't know him!"

"Neither do you!"

"Yes I do!" she almost yelled. "He's an honest, caring, trusting bloke, and you're just getting on my nerves right now!"

"What the hell is going on out here?" a blurry voice asked. Lily looked over in horror as James and Sirius appeared in the doorway. When they both laid eyes on Jacob, they sobered instantly.

"What the hell do you want, Carson?" Sirius spat, his hand going into his pocket.

"Nothing, Black." Jacob stepped away from Lily, looking relaxed. "Just chatting."

"Quite loudly," James noted, and looked from him to Lily. "You all right?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," she said sharply, and went to his side. "Go back to bed, James."

"Hanging off him like a damn parasite, aren't you?" Jacob sneered. "Should have known better."

A blinding flash hit him full force in the chest, and Lily yelped. Jacob was Stunned on the floor, his face frozen in a mask of hurt.

"Conniving snake," James muttered. He nudged his mate in the ribs as Sirius pocketed his wand. "We should move him."

"Can we hang him out a window?" Sirius asked in a gleeful tone.

"I would love to see Uncle Brian's face," James chuckled. "But we can't. Imagine what the press would say."

"You're right," Sirius sighed. "How about the basement toilets?"

"Perfect." James and Sirius went to Jacob's body, and picked it up rather carelessly. "Lily, you'll be all right?" James asked over his shoulder.

She nodded curtly. "Yes." And she watched her pretend boyfriend and his best mate carry away the boy she thought had been the real, sincere one.

I guess this is why he's in Slytherin, she thought to herself. He plays mind games, nothing more.

But as she made her way back to her room, she could feel her heart sinking with each step.

When she went down for breakfast the next morning, she was informed by Alicia that she had seen Jacob leaving in the wee hours of the morning, by Floo. Alicia also said he looked like he'd been through hell.

Lily explained what had happened the night before. Alicia listened intently, picking at an orange as she did so.

"He confronted you about James, then." Alicia sounded intrigued. "He really likes you, Lily."

"He's a snake," Lily muttered, disappointed in how fake her hatred sounded. She still couldn't believe it had happened.

"Maybe." Alicia shrugged. "I'm not going to say you should give him a chance. But don't think of him as a snake. Just because he's in Slytherin, doesn't mean that he's evil."

Lily stared down at the table. Hadn't James and Sirius been saying all year that he was placed in Slytherin for a reason? No matter how sincere he seemed on the outside, he had to be rotten on the inside?

She didn't know what to believe anymore.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks to all my reviewers! _

_Disclaimer: Nope, still not JK Rowling._

**SIX**

Thursday came with blinding speed. Lily fell into the step of planning a party without even knowing it. Tracy had her selecting hors d'oeuvres, choosing music the band would play, and other seemingly pointless tasks that Lily felt completely inept to be handling. She had never had to make such decisions, and worried she would royally screw it up.

When Thursday did finally come along, Lily found herself awake at six in the morning, stressing over the day ahead. It was James' birthday today, the big event. And she had planned a lot of it. She fiddled with the pendant around her neck, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She looked anxious, she admitted.

Well, maybe a good, long shower would solve that.

By the time she emerged from the bathroom, dressed in old jeans and T-shirt, her hair wrapped in a towel, Jenna and Alicia were both awake, and were debating on what they were going to wear.

"I think the red will look good, Alicia," Jenna insisted, holding a very revealing red dress toward her friend.

"I would agree, if there was an actual dress to wear!" Alicia laughed. "Honestly, Jenna, why did you bring that?"

"It's very _en mode_," Jenna said dramatically. "But hell, how would I know? I went to Sweden for the summer, not France."

Lily shook her head at her friends, and proceeded to towel-dry her hair and run some miracle cream through it that prevented frizz and flyaways. She would swear by the stuff.

She then magically dried it, and manually brushed it and pinned the sides away from her face. It fell silkily to her shoulders, and she smiled at herself in the mirror. Not bad.

"Lily, what are you wearing?" Jenna demanded, holding several articles of clothing in her hands. "I don't know if I should be casual or formal!"

Lily laughed. "Casual for the day, Jenna, formal for the dance." She leaned toward the mirror, applying faint grey shadow to her eyelids.

"Casual as in a dress or slacks?"

"Doesn't matter, Jenna." Lily felt like she had to be endlessly patient with her friend. A difficult feat, sometimes. Lily dragged a smoky liner over her lash line, blinking constantly. She avoided makeup at all costs for this very reason; it was a waste of time.

Finally, Lily set down her brush and looked herself over once more. The smoky effect was bold, she noticed worriedly. Maybe too bold?

"Lily, please-" Jenna stopped short when she saw her friend. "Are you wearing makeup?" she almost squealed.

Lily reached for a cloth. "I was," she sighed.

"No, don't take it off! It looks awesome. You look awesome." Jenna winked at her in the mirror. "James wont know what hit him."

Lily smiled grimly. That was her plan.

_-6-_

"Happy birthday!" Someone was yelling in his ear, and James blindly flapped his arms at them. "Mate, get up! It's your bloody birthday, and you're gonna sleep through it? Wake up!"

James opened his eyes groggily, and blundered for his glasses. Once on his face, he could see Sirius looming above him, a mischevious expression on his face. He was holding a bottle of water. "Get your arse out of bed!" Sirius yelled again, beating his friend.

"All right!" James laughed, sitting up. "What were you going to do, dump water on my head?" He motioned to the bottle.

Sirius grinned slyly. "Ah, this isn't water, friend." Sirius opened it and let James take a whiff. "Premium Russian vodka! Left outside the door! Along with all sorts of goodies."

James felt his heart skip. Russian vodka could only come from one person: Eva.

"Come on, drink up!" Sirius passed him the bottle. "It's your birthday!"

James took a sip, and shuddered as the alcohol warmed him all the way down to his stomach. It would be enough until that night, when all the adults turned a blind eye and let the students go mad.

James stood up and stretched, mussing his hair as he did so. "What time is it?"

"About nine." Sirius was rummaging through the mass of foil-wrapped gifts and bottles he had dragged inside. "Oi! You've got a bloody jeweler's stock in here!"

"Just what I wanted," James mumbled, and made his way into the bathroom for a shower. He could hear Sirius critiquing all of his birthday gifts in the bedroom, quite loudly and with many profanities. James laughed.

When he did emerge from the bathroom, Remus and Peter had joined Sirius in appreciating all of the presents, ogling and adoring more like it. James rolled his eyes. "Come on! It's not that amazing!"

"James, have you looked at some of this stuff?" Remus sounded awed.

When he did finally go through some of the gifts, he realized why they were so dumbstruck.

He was too.

It was a mountain of invaluable, rare, priceless treasures. Books about old, powerful magic that had been lost for decades; pendants and rings that were emblazoned with his family crest; an old wand that appeared to be made of ebony; bottles of rum and old, expensive wine; bags of gold and jewels; even an ancient compass he recognized from fairytales that could point a man home in any circumstance.

He stared at it all, confounded. Then he looked at his friends. "Are there cards?" he asked weakly, not knowing how he would begin to thank his family and friends for such extravagant gifts.

"On the bed." James saw an equally frightening pile of cards on his bed, threatening to topple over. He went to the pile, and picked one up off the top. From a wizard he recognized only by name.

"Good Lord," he murmured to himself, and opened another, and another. How could all of these people, most of them strangers, afford to give him such gifts?

Oh, right. His name.

He suddenly felt mildly ashamed of himself. Flaunting his heritage and family tree for years, and bragging about his pure blood, and then finding himself in this situation, with no way to even begin to thank these people… It made him slightly sick.

"Lily was right," he said to himself, so his friends couldn't hear. Of course she was right.

He suddenly realized he hadn't seen her in the last few days. She'd always been with Tracy, or with his family, or with Jenna and Alicia. He missed her, he realized. He'd never missed her before. Lusted after her, sure. Thought about how he would win her over, definitely. But he had never felt loneliness without her.

"What time is it again?" he asked absent-mindedly, fingering the card in his hand.

"After nine, now. Almost ten."

James set down the card. They could wait. It was his birthday; and he was going to celebrate his way.

_-6-_

Lily was downstairs, half a bagel in one hand and a list in the other, watching little house elves decorate the main hall for James' dance. The dinner was going to be held outside, under a sky of tents under which magical lanterns glowed and gossamer was strung. The tables were already set up, draped with red clothes and gold centre pieces. The plates would be put out later in the evening, as well as the feast of food Lily had helped select. Having gone to school with James for years now, she knew which foods he liked and which he couldn't stand.

She had traded her old jeans for black slacks and a dark, dark blue blouse. It had looked too formal in the mirror, but Jenna had refused to let her change. On her feet were a pair of little heels, and she clicked as she walked, which she hated.

"Lily?" someone asked behind her. It was Lauren Bailey, who had been avoiding the teenagers for a few days, since the night of the intrusion, which Brian and Tracy had managed to keep a very tight secret. "Is there supposed to be a mob of people outside?"

Lily frowned. "No," she answered, and followed Lauren to the window facing the front lawn. Camped out on the grass in various-sized tents were straggly individuals, every single one holding a camera.

"Bloody hell," she breathed. This was insane.

She immediately went to find Brian, who quickly dismissed the reporters with a few words Lily was glad she couldn't hear. She resumed her tasks, slightly frazzled by all the attention this party was getting.

"This is insane," she muttered to herself, scratching another item off her list. "What kind of people would do this to their son?"

"Is that an insult to my parents?" a teasing voice asked close to her ear. She jumped a little, but felt goose bumps crawl on her arms.

She turned her head only, not her body, so he couldn't see the full effect of her look. "Absolutely not," she said in a low voice. "It was a mere curiosity."

He chuckled, and she found herself mesmerized by the moment. "Always so curious, Lily," he said, placing his hand on her arm. And he turned her around to face him.

She could see the astonishment in his eyes, and in his face. He looked like he was seeing something crazy, and completely shocking. And she was that something.

It made her feel really special.

"Wow, Lily." His voice was husky in appreciation. "You look amazing."

She smiled coyly, batting her lashes at him. "Why, thank you," she said in her girliest, fakest voice. "Only the best for your birthday."

He smiled crookedly. "Why so sarcastic?"

"That's just what I do."

He shook his head. "You do more than that."

"Do tell." She frowned. "On second thought, don't tell. I don't really want to know."

He leaned down and kissed her cheek tenderly, making her blush beneath her makeup. "Maybe later, then." His eyes glittered in the lamplight above. The sensation of being suspended in clouds hadn't diminished, Lily noted. He was playing it.

"Happy birthday, James," she said softly, not trusting her voice not to crack.

"Thank you, Lily." And he leaned down and kissed her, fully on her lips with such gentleness and care that she could only stand, rooted to the spot on the marble floor, stunned.

When he leaned away, he had a crooked grin on his face. "What, no backlash?"

She shook her head, as shocked as he was. "Not this time."

He feigned a childish expression of mock excitement. "Am I finally winning over Lily Evans?"

She laughed. "We shall see, Potter."

And they started to walk together, his protests to her reverting back to his surname echoing through the halls.


	7. Chapter 7

_Lucky for all of you, I temporarily smashed through my writer's block, and have a new idea going. Hopefully my inspiration keeps me rolling!_

_Disclaimer: sigh I WISH I were JK Rowling. I'd be rich, at least, let alone talented and incredible._

**SEVEN**

The evening came in a blur. Before Lily knew it, she was swept up in greetings, questions about decoration placement, and opinions on appetizers. She was constantly flustered, and it began to show when her face became permanently red.

Jenna thrust a cup into her hand. "Drink," she commanded, looking Lily sternly in the eye. Lily smelled it, and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"How strong did you _make_ this?"

"It's not strong at all." Jenna straightened her skirt, looking very much the pureblood, spoiled daughter she was. "It's Russian."

Lily frowned slightly. Russian vodka meant–

"Ah, Lily! And–Jenna, yes?" Eva came forward, dressed in a floor length, incredibly tight charcoal gown. "So good to see you."

Lily forced herself not to scowl. The charming, accented, gorgeous Russian model had seen them many times that day, and always had the same greeting. It was starting to seriously annoy her.

"The vodka is a gift," Eva continued, smiling her perfect grin. "James has always been a good friend, it was only natural. You must tell me how it tastes."

Jenna nudged her in the ribs when Lily didn't immediately take a sip. Glaring from the corner of her eye at her friend, Lily raised the glass of vodka and juice to her lips. The alcohol was subtle, but Lily swallowed with difficulty anyway.

"It's quite good," she said sweetly to Eva.

"I'm so glad." Eva excused herself, and flounced over to another couple standing in the great hall that was decked in red and gold banners. Lily rolled her eyes when she was safely away.

"Does she have to be so _fake_?" Lily whispered heatedly, grimacing at the cup she still held.

Jenna sighed and took it from her. "Oh, Lily, have fun for once. She's being nice."

"She's being a snob," Lily corrected. She saw movement at the top of the stairs, and saw Alicia descending in a flattering, deep purple dress that fell just above her knees. With hair pulled away from her face and curled around her eyes, she glowed.

"Where did you get that dress?" Jenna squealed when Alicia joined them on the floor. "It's stunning!"

Alicia blushed. "It was a Christmas gift," she said softly, looking to Lily, eyes pleading.

"Alicia looks wonderful of course," Lily said promptly. "But I know Remus could appreciate it more." She pointed across the floor, where said boy was standing with Sirius and Peter in dress robes, drinking alcohol-laced beverages and laughing.

Jenna watched her go, eyes moving up and down her shape. "She really likes him," she murmured to Lily.

"Is it so bad?" Lily asked in return.

"No. Just–Remus?" Jenna shrugged. "I never understood her attraction to him."

"He's a good person."

"But…" Jenna bit her lip. "Ah, never mind." She drank again from her glass.

Tracy, James' aunt, came up to them then, wearing a pretty red dress and black jacket. "Lily, there you are. Could you come up and escort James down to the party? Then the thanks and such will get on, and after that–"

"The party, of course." Lily had been over the schedule so many times it was ingrained to memory. "Sure."

She followed Tracy up the staircase into a little sitting room, where James and Brian were sitting and drinking. Lily entered just as they shared a laugh.

"Oh, there they are." Brian stood, blocking Lily's view of James, as he came to greet his wife.

Lily felt her heart skip a beat when she saw him. His unlawful hair was finally smoothed down, and his glasses weren't askew on his face. Dressed in smart dress robes with gold accents, he was the picture of nobility and pureblood inheritance.

He also stood, and when finally laid eyes on her, had the same expression she was sure was plastered on her own face. While she hadn't thought too much of her dress, scarlet with a thin black sash, Jenna and Alicia had only gushed about how gorgeous she was.

It paid off, obviously.

"We'll go get everyone organized," Brian said, interrupting the staring contest. "When you hear the–"

"Trumpets," Lily managed to say, nodding to James' aunt and uncle. "Thanks so much."

"No, thank _you_, Lily," Tracy replied, leaning down to kiss her cheek. Then she went to the same to her nephew, while Brian hugged her.

"You're everything he's made you out to be." His voice was soft in her ear, like the endearing tone of a man to his granddaughter. Pure love and affection and honesty.

Feeling her face aflame, she ducked her head as they left the room.

Silence.

Lily was scared to look at him and see his expression again; it was bad enough that she had been staring at him too.

Finally, he cleared his throat. "Lily… You look lovely."

She drew a deep breath and looked up. He was still standing by the sofa, hands tucked in his pockets. Nervous.

A tiny giggle escaped her lips.

"Are you laughing at me?" he demanded, actual disbelief in his tone.

"You're nervous," she said simply, as if it explained everything.

He raised one brow. "You saw how many people were down there."

"James, you weren't even nervous for your OWLs. Why be nervous about a _party_?"

He smiled thinly. "I see your point."

"More than you've ever seen before," she said wryly.

"Well, that's not because of my lack of attempts." He walked towards her and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "You were always too good for me," he said quietly.

She frowned at him. "I thought the message was _you _were too good for _me_, and that's why I should be honoured to go out with you."

His eyes darkened. "I was an idiot, Lily. Of course I thought you were the biggest, stuck-up know-it-all I'd ever met, because I was angry that I didn't get what I wanted."

Before she could open her mouth to insult him, he placed his finger over her lips, silencing her. "But since January–" He swallowed hard, and her chest went cold. January would always mean her near-death, their life-changing event. "Since then, it's different. I don't want to simply be with you, Lily. I want you to be safe, and happy, and have everything _you _want. Even if that means not being with me." He removed his finger.

Lily stared at him in complete and utter shock for one whole second before she started to cry.

James' eye widened, startled by her sudden shift in mood. "Lily, no, I'm sorry to upset you… Don't cry."

She shook her head, at a loss of words, and felt his arms go around her. She tried to avoid crying on his dress shirt, but couldn't. She would clean it after.

He held her for a long time as she let her tears overflow, and didn't say a word. When she felt like she could speak without her voice cracking, she whispered, "Thank you, James."

He looked down at her wet face. "For what?"

"For being completely different on the inside from what you show on the outside."

He laughed, relieved she was still her spunky self. "Well, I do hide my sensitive side very well. Bad for my image, you know."

She scoffed, and withdrew from him. "I must be a mess."

Her face _was _fairly red and blotchy, and her eyes matched, but he had never seen anyone more beautiful. "Nah," he said. "Nothing a tissue can't fix."

He conjured one and handed it to her, making her smile weakly.

Once she had wiped her eyes and fixed her makeup, she whipped out her wand and cleaned away the mess she had made of his good shirt.

"All better." She sounded satisfied, like she had written a good essay and was quite pleased with the results.

"Now, when–"

An ear-piercing trumpet interrupted his sentence, so terrible that they both clapped their hands over their ears. It stopped, and then started again in a better tune.

James offered her his arm. "Shall we, Miss Evans?"

She smiled. "We shall."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Lily struggled past all the raging students, trying to reach the doors that led to the gardens for a breath of fresh air. The bass of the music thumped even from outside, but at least she could breathe. A couple was seated on the bench, wrapped up in his jacket, snogging like no end. Disgusted, Lily kept walking, shivering in the winter night without her coat.

The party was a huge success, as expected; every Gryffindor above fifth year was present now, as well as many other students from Hogwarts; Jacob, the only Slytherin invited, had, of course, left.

Thinking of him made her angry and sad all at once, so she forced herself to think of something else. Toying with the garnet around her neck, she looked up at the sky, which was clear of clouds and the moon shone brilliantly. She saw the silhouette of someone on a broom, and knew it must be the security, mostly members of the Order of the Phoenix. With the intrusion, Dumbledore had sent his fellows to watch over the house, in case anyone should try an attack with so many students under one roof.

It made Lily feel sick, to think that Death Eaters could be scoping the house this instant, thinking of the best way to murder children. Unsettled by the thought, and afraid of losing her toes, she turned to make her way back to the house.

"Evening, Evans."

She jumped, and slipped on patch of ice at the sound of his voice. He reached out and caught her elbow before she could fall, but has succeeded in irritating her.

"Hello, Black." Even though she was starting to thaw for James, Sirius was still as annoying and pig-headed as always.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"I was." She shivered, and retracted her arm from his grip. "I'd like to go back inside."

"Wait."

"I'm freezing, Black," she snapped. "And you nearly made me fall and crack my head open. I'm not waiting."

"Lily…" Something in his voice changed. "Please."

Concerned, she turned her head. "What?"

He gestured for her to follow him, and she did, reluctantly, teeth chattering.

He led her down a short path, to a little dead end bench for lovebirds. There, lying at the base of the bench, was a body.

Her breath caught in her throat. She had _just _been thinking…

"It's the Killing Curse," Sirius said quietly. "And he's still warm."

Lily's skin crawled, but not from the cold. "What do we do?"

"We have to tell Brian and Tracy, and fast."

"Oh, you're not telling anyone anything."

Lily spun around, her hand reaching for her wand, just as the Stunning spell hit her dead in the chest.

_Oh, I couldn't let a party go uninterrupted. Please let me know what you think. _

_Heiress_


	8. Chapter 8

**EIGHT**

Lily stared up at the starlit sky, her ears ringing. There was a body beside her, but she couldn't tell if it was Sirius' or the dead one. Heart hammering, she waited for the killing blow, unable to even scream for help.

A face loomed over her, hidden by shadow and a black mask. The voice behind it was sexless, the eyes hollow. "Potter'll never believe we have his darling girlfriend, will he?" the person sneered, poking her with his wand. "Wonder what he'll do when he finds out?"

He turned his head. "And Sirius Black." The voice was filled with loathing. "Always was a disappointment. Poor mother, she never had a chance with you."

Lily's mouth filled with bile, but she was frozen. The spell wasn't thawing as fast as it should.

Someone else joined the masked figure. "The others are taken care of," he said breathlessly, as if he had been running. There was a long pause. "Is that…?"

"Potter's girlfriend and best friend." The first one was gleeful. "With no parents to threaten, who else would we have kidnapped? Lucky for us you two just stumbled upon our dead friend here together." He laughed.

Lily felt a hand twitch, and knew Sirius must be getting his movement back–but why wasn't she?

"Hide them, before someone finds them. And the body. I have to return to the party, make an appearance." The first figure left.

The heavier man, also masked, cast his levitating spell. Lily tried desperately to free her mouth, to shout for help, but it was futile–this commonly-used defense spell was holding her completely immobile. The man placed them behind a row of bushes, tucking them underneath the foliage and onto the freezing snow.

"Don't you move," he cackled, before hurrying off.

Sirius sat up, his wand clutched in his hand. "Bloody Death Eaters, in Potter Manor," he grumbled. "Well, come on Evans, get up! We're gonna freeze out here."

Lily couldn't move her lips to swear at him.

He knelt down beside her. "Evans! It was a Stunning Spell, not the Killing Curse for the love of Merlin. Come on!"

When she didn't answer, she saw his face tighten. He touched her neck, and she knew he felt her pulse. "Evans, what–?"

There was a yelp, and Sirius spun around, casting his own Stunning Spell just as the masked man opened his mouth. He fell, paralyzed, to the icy ground, the body of the dead man beside him.

"Should kill him," Sirius hissed, gripping his wand in hatred. But he let out a long breath, and turned back to Lily, who could still not move.

"Oh, for the love of…" He cast another spell upon the Stunned Death Eater before he picked her up, gentle of her head, and started for the manor.

"James is going to blow a hole out of the roof…" He looked down at her, eyes worried. "Are you all right?"

She could barely manage a blink.

"Well, we'll get you to a Healer–God, you do fall easily for spells, don't you?"

Oh, how she wished she could throttle him.

When they got back inside, Sirius ran into a small parlor, where he laid her on the couch and then disappeared again, only to come back with Tracy, James' aunt. She had the business-like look of a doctor on her face.

"How long has she been Stunned?"

"I'd say about ten minutes, maybe more. But we've done it so much in class, it shouldn't have lasted this long."

"Thanks, Sirius. Go fetch Brian, tell him to meet me here. Warn James, but _quietly_."

"My middle name." He saluted her before jogging away.

Tracy shook her head as she ran her wand over Lily's body. "Always was a sarcastic boy," she said wryly, eyes fixed on Lily's chest.

"Hmm."

Lily felt a small tug, and then she felt as if she had just surfaced from a deep, long dive. Air rushed into her lungs, making her choke and splutter like a fish. She turned her face, gasping for air.

"I thought so." Tracy was holding Lily's garnet necklace.

"What? It's just a little thing."

"Where did you get this, Lily?"

Lily's face flamed. "It was an anonymous gift," she admitted, to the second person since receiving it.

"And when did you get this?"

"Christmas."

"This is a Nefarious Garnet, Lily." Tracy's tone was disgusted. "They're old, and not very many exist anymore, but they can be passed off as regular gems if a wizard doesn't check. Whoever gave this to you meant you harm."

"What does it do?" she whispered, ashamed and horrified.

"They enhance Dark Magic. Make curses more deadly, simple spells last longer, and help aim for the kill. This is why you were still frozen."

Lily stared at the swinging pendant. "But… It's never…"

Realization slammed into her. The pendant had been given to her at Christmas, and shortly after, just before her birthday, she had been cursed so powerfully she had nearly died.

And something James had said… That the killer, the masked Death Eater, had said that he didn't expect Lily to fall so hard for the spell.

The doors burst open, and in charged James, his face wild. "They found two men dead in the yards," he gasped. "They're here!"

Lily sat up, and swung her feet onto the ground, removing her tiny heels. "James, it's someone in the party. Sirius and I heard him talking."

"How can we evacuate people if some of them are stinking Death Eaters?" he asked his aunt, panic making his hands shake.

"James, stay calm. We have to be quiet about–"

There was a loud crash, and then screaming.

"Where's Brian?" Tracy asked urgently, removing her shawl.

"I saw him go outside… But, Aunt Tracy!" She brushed past him in three long strides.

James looked at Lily, his eyes filed with terror. She had never seen him so scared; not when Dumbledore offered them positions in the Order of the Phoenix, not when his parents had been kidnapped in Cambodia a few years ago, never. It was enough to evoke fear in her too.

She stood up and took his hand. "Come on," she murmured. "Let's see what's happening."

He squeezed her hand hard, trembling. "I don't want you to be hurt."

"If it's not me, it will be someone else," she said softly. "We have to go, James. We have to protect them."

A bone-chilling, high-pitched scream ripped through the manor, and then everyone was screaming, and the floors were shaking from the stampedes of hundreds of feet running. Lily started to walk. "James, please."

"Lily, not you," he pleaded. "I can't lose you, I can't do this again."

She pulled on his hand. "You won't have to. None of this will be sneaky; all duels."

Someone banged on the door, but did not enter.

Lily raised her wand. "Come."

James drew a deep breath.

The door burst open with a flash of red light, and Lily countered with her own spell. The yelling outside was overwhelming as well-dressed students streaked past, their faces blurred. Before them stood two masked figures, one unnaturally tall, the other just under six feet.

"And here he is," hissed the tall one, his black wand clutched in a gloved hand. "James Potter and his little Mudblood girlfriend."

James whipped his spell, but the Death Eater was too fast; his shield blocked it, and the spell ricocheted to a window, shattering the glass. "Testy, are we?"

James cast another spell, but it was also deflected. "You have to do better than kid spells, Potter," the tall one sneered.

"Take off your mask and fight like a real wizard, coward," James spat, his hand steady now, fuelled by hatred and the mission to kill.

The shorter one cast a spell, but Lily conjured her shield in time to block it. "She's quick on her feet," he noted. "When I met you I thought you were a dolt, to be frank."

Lily swallowed hard. She'd been called worse, but she was more worried about when she had met this wizard.

"You might as well let go of each other," the shorter one continued. "We're going to kill you anyway, and you should be able to defend yourselves."

If possible, their grip tightened further.

No one spoke for a long moment; finally, all the students had been evacuated, and the eerie quiet was only broken by the occasional yell or bang of clashing spells.

"Fine." The tall one shrugged back his cloak. "We'll kill you together."

Lily and James could barely get shields up to deflect the joint killing spells they both shot, and the duel broke out; the Death Eaters fired more curses, and James and Lily could only defend. There was hardly time between casts to draw breath, let alone use it to pronounce the words. Lily was feeling the effects of the long day, and she was tired; James gripped her hand still, but she could feel his weariness too.

Dimly she could hear other duels through the manor; she heard crashes and swearing above, and the walls trembled every time someone missed. They were all coated with dust and sweat.

"Die, Potter!" the shorter one shrieked, a higher note than any man could reach. His spell deflected off James and singed Lily's hair, and she barely managed to block the next spell.

"Lily!" James yelled, and she whirled, only to be hit full-force with a vicious Body-Binding Curse. The new Death Eater joined his fellows, and easily brought James down too.

"So, this is how Potter meets his end." The medium one, the one that had shrieked so loudly, knelt beside him. "Pity it couldn't be more public and dramatic."

"Stop toying with him, Grey." The tall one was angry. "We need to leave, before the Ministry gets here."

The medium one pulled off his–her–mask. "Looks like the fun's come to an end, James," Eva crooned, and kissed him. "Be sure to say hello to my parents for me."

She turned and flounced away with the tall one, leaving the newcomer to finish them off.

Lily, shocked beyond belief, felt the overwhelming sensation of realization overcome her. She was going to die, right here on the floor of Potter's parlor, without having finished school, or even experienced life in the magical world. Without having been in love, without having children, without feeling success.

She was going to die a nobody.


End file.
